Jethro Coffin House
Encyclopedia
Jethro Coffin House, also known as the Oldest House, is a saltbox
house built in 1686 and located on Sunset Hill Road in Nantucket, Massachusetts
, is the oldest house on Nantucket in its original location and is the only surviving structure from
the island's 17th Century English settlement. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark
. Because of the brick design on its chimney, it is also called the Horseshoe House.
). Jethro Coffin was a grandson of Tristram Coffin, one of the island's original proprietors. It was abandoned by a later owner during the Civil War
. The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) acquired the property in 1923. The house was struck by lightning in 1987 and nearly cut in half, but was carefully restored by the NHA.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1968.
It is located on Sunset Hill Road, in Sunset Hill, Nantucket.
Saltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
house built in 1686 and located on Sunset Hill Road in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
, is the oldest house on Nantucket in its original location and is the only surviving structure from
the island's 17th Century English settlement. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. Because of the brick design on its chimney, it is also called the Horseshoe House.
History
The house was built in 1686 as a wedding gift for Jethro Coffin and his bride, Mary Gardner (granddaughter of Thomas GardnerThomas Gardner (planter)
Thomas Gardner was an Overseer of the "old planters" party of the Dorchester Company who landed, in 1624 at Cape Ann, to form a colony at what is now known as Gloucester...
). Jethro Coffin was a grandson of Tristram Coffin, one of the island's original proprietors. It was abandoned by a later owner during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) acquired the property in 1923. The house was struck by lightning in 1987 and nearly cut in half, but was carefully restored by the NHA.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1968.
It is located on Sunset Hill Road, in Sunset Hill, Nantucket.
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Nantucket County, Massachusetts
- List of the oldest buildings in Massachusetts
- Coffin (whaling family)Coffin (whaling family)The Coffin family were a group of whalers operating out of Nantucket, Massachusetts from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Some members of the family gained wider exposure due to their discovery of various islands in the Pacific Ocean....